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“Is he staring again? He is, what is with all the staring?! Hello?!”
Little Cato clicked his tongue at Tribore’s almost-announcement. “Yeah, that happens when he’s all… mushy , and stuff,” he replied in amusement at the other waving his hand in front of his father’s face rather desperately. “Total tunnel vision. Hey dad?”
Avocato’s head tilted to the side, mindlessly trying to see around Tribore’s hand like it was some mere obstacle and not a team mate trying to pull his attention away from the captain’s chair, blissfully unaware of the conversation on either side of him.
Little Cato huffed, impatient with the discreet attempts to bring the other back to reality and began snapping annoyingly in his ear. Avocato’s ear flicked before both pinned back and he sat back up straight, coming to quickly. “What, boy?” he pushed the hand away from his ear.
“What do you mean , ‘what’?” Little Cato crossed his arms with a little smirk and sat back in his seat, “You were staring again. Zero subtlety, zero shame.”
“At what ?” Avocato asked numbly in response, though from the look on his face he was very aware of what-- who , if he wanted to be honest with himself-- he was caught looking at.
“Hon hon,” Tribore clicked their tongue at the Ventrexian, giving him a look, “You’ve been staring down Gary since you got back. Is it obvious? It sure as hell is .”
Avocato hissed out, bringing a finger to his lips before settling in. “Can you be quiet? Both of you? This is not the time.” he seethed under his breath. In that moment Gary turned, causing the conversation to forcibly drop before the two could continue. The Ventrexian nearly held his breath, his already burning face felt only hotter when their eyes connected for a moment and a smile flashed his way before the blonde focused on his co-pilot and mother.
It was unprofessional and immature, but Avocato took that as his chance to get the hell out of the bridge. He stood, fully aware of Tribore and Little Cato watching him with concern and frustration respectively at his impromptu getaway, and slipped out before his absence could be noted by the others.
What started as a mild crush--laughing a little too hard at jokes, watching the other longer than what was deemed appropriate in the small hours of the morning, learning the way his brow furrowed during cards as he tried to figure out if he had a good hand and then raised upwards in joy when he found something impressive-- had grown into a gnawing jealousy that was, in Avocato’s opinion, unnecessary and pathetic. How did one miss a person when they were dead for what he could only guess was months this badly?
And of course, there was the issue of Quinn.
He knew Gary was chasing her from the start, he watched time and time again as his pressing for something to happen between the two got him waved off, rejected, then snapped at and even punched. It was never going to happen, Gary was chasing an unattainable goal-- well, so he thought. He soon realized with a sense of despair that Quinn would smile and wave the man off, sure, but there was a teasing tone to her rebuttals now; if he didn’t know better, Avocato would think she was flirting back. And that really hit home, struck him in the gut in a way that left him aching and miserable.
The door opened beside him, causing the bounty hunter to tense and consider an excuse about his absence, but the green orb that bubbled over the threshold didn’t seem concerned. Admittedly though, he never could figure out what Mooncake was thinking.
“H-hey,” he chuckled nervously, shoulders relaxing when he recognized the other. Mooncake hummed and as expected, paused to hover by Avocato’s side and offered a chipper ‘Chookity!’ in response.
Planet destroyers should be allowed to come in adorable forms like this, it really wasn’t fair. Avocato chuckled and offered out a hand, allowing Mooncake to take it in before they pressed their head into his palm. Mooncake was always weirdly cold and smooth but somehow comforting, like petting the Earth creature Gary kept comparing him to.
Gary. Shit, why did he think about Gary? Mooncake took note of the lack of petting, whimpering at him and pressing their face into his hand. Avocato’s fingers instinctively curled, scritching the planet killer on their soft head. The whimpering turned into something of a purr.
“ I’ve been gone too long,” he murmured to himself, not expecting Mooncake to rub their face against his hand in some form of nod. Maybe Avocato didn’t understand them, but they understood Avocato. “They’ve been at this for awhile, huh? Gary and Quinn?” he asked tentatively and immediately recoiled at the dirty look Mooncake gave him. “Okay, okay. No dumping my problems, you’re good.”
Mooncake squawked out and shook their head, only to float over and press their face into the tufts of fur on his own. Was Mooncake trying to… comfort him somehow? How much did they know, then ?
The door opened again, making Avocato jump and grab Mooncake, who let out a ‘chook!’ in surprise but made no attempt to escape the grasp as Avocato started walking away quickly.
--
“Dad?” Little Cato poked his head out the door, looking both ways before he caught the end of a tail turning the corner. “Hey!” He left to follow after his dad, almost sure he heard Gary call out to him as the door closed behind him.
He felt bad for ditching his station even if they were just scoping for a place to rest while they repaired the ship, but he felt worse for the potential of making his dad upset (weird to think of his dad being upset about a crush, but who was he to judge? He’d had at least 2 or 3 in his own lifetime, and he doubted they would be the last) and had convinced himself he needed to follow and keep an eye on the other.
He gave chase down the hall and around the corner, managing to catch up to the older Ventrexian and Mooncake, whom Little Cato realized his dad was carrying. “Dad?” he reached out, catching the back of his father’s shirt.
Avocato slowed his gait and stopped, turning only slightly to look down at the boy. It was a hard catch, but he looked frazzled, maybe even a bit embarrassed to be caught running away from the bridge.
“Yeah?”
“You should really tell Gary,” he pointed out. Avocato removed his light grasp from his shirt, earning him a ‘hey’ from Little Cato. “I’m serious! He’s totally cool and awesome and he’s already literally my other dad, it would be kinda cool if--”
“I appreciate it,” Avocato cut him off, “But… It’s not as easy as you think it is.”
“Why not?” the tone he gave Avocato in response was whiny, even pouting a little as he did when he wanted something as a kit-- it was a face he knew could not be resisted, even if Avocato wanted to. “You like him, right?”
Avocato scoffed at him (the nerve of his own dad!) and he saw the other give Mooncake a couple light squeezes before speaking. “That has nothing to do with anything.” he started.
“But--” Little Cato was quickly silenced with a hand raised, half-hearted but still firm.
“We’re not getting into this, boy.” he stated flatly. Little Cato couldn’t help but sink into his shoulders miserably; of course, the first person his dad showed any interest in that was actually a half-decent guy, and he wouldn’t shoot his shot. Why did all the other trash breeze in and out of their lives but he was too… too chickenshit to try this one?
“Fine. Whatever,” Little Cato huffed out-- he wanted to fight, to threaten to tell Gary himself. Tribore already told him ‘no’, that they had to ‘figure it out themselves’, and not ‘twiddle their wieners, for once’... whatever that meant.
“Just… Please think about it?”
He got a scoff in response. It should have been offensive that his dad didn’t even bother answering him properly, but he’d take it; at least it wasn’t a ‘no’.
--
The week passed relatively slowly and Avocato continued to skirt around Gary and his feelings, to the frustration of all involved in this little ‘storyline’, as Tribore put it-- and it was a lot of people, Avocato found out relatively fast… in fact, it seemed the whole crew except the ‘happy couple’ were aware of the situation and everyone had input. Unfortunately.
“I know it seems a little out of character to be rooting for the Ventrexian,” Fox started with a hum, “But heck, I always vote for the underdog.”
Avocato scoffed at that, swirling his drink and watching the movement of the liquid in his glass.
“That’s exactly what this is!” Tribore clapped their hands together, “This is such an underdog situation-- like Carlos, the secret suitor in my favorite season of ‘Edge of Madness’-- the dark horse, swooping in and sweeping Isabella off her feet--”
“No! No--swooping in, or sweeping,” Avocato slammed his drink back down and pointed accusingly at Tribore, “That is not what is happening here.”
“From experience, the swooping in and sweeping move does not work in real life,” Ash agreed with a bitter tone, looking up from something she was sticking needles into from her spot on top of some boxes.
“That being said, Gary and Quinn aren’t a thing,” Little Cato countered, “It’s not like you have to, y’know, swoop in. Just… discuss things like an adult?”
“Can we not discuss this?” Avocato rested his head in his hands, rubbing his face. “I just wanted to sit alone, in peace, I don’t need a freaking pow-wow for something that’s not happening ,” he directed at Little Cato. The boy made a face in response and turned on his heel, storming out. He was quickly followed by a sour-faced Ash and a concerned Fox.
Tribore watched the kids leave before standing themselves, patting Avocato on the shoulder in some form of reassurance before heading out himself.
The Ventrexian drank the rest of his glass and took in the quiet, at last able to have the space to think when the doors opened again. He couldn’t help but groan in frustration at not being alone, again, about to stand when he heard the sound of a bottle being opened and saw a dark-clothed arm reach around to pour more whiskey into his glass. “Y’look like you could use a refill.” Sheryl drawled out, giving him a wide berth before coming to sit across from him.
“Didn’t know you to be the sharing type,” he mused, sitting back up. “But I was about to turn in.”
Sheryl shrugged simply. “‘M not, but drinking alone blows.” She rested her chin in hand. “And after your group left I thought you could use some less pushy company.”
“You heard that,” he stated with something of a grin-- they weren’t known for being quiet, and though he really didn’t want this conversation with Sheryl, he could at least expect it wouldn’t last long when Gary was the topic.
“They’re not quiet. ‘Specially that Tribore fella,” Sheryl took a swig from the bottle, hissing out. “Ugh, this is cheap…” she pushed it aside and turned her attention back. “Your problems aren’t my business anyways.”
Avocato frowned a bit at that. Maybe not, but something told him she had something to say on the matter, anyways. “And…”
“And nothin’. It’s just not my business. But Gary’s been tryin’ to make it ‘is.”
The Ventrexian felt a cold hit his back and shoulders but his face remained warm-- maybe even felt warmer as Sheryl offered a wry smile. “You two got more in common than y’think.”
“And you know that from…?”
“Bein’ ‘is mum.” came the simple reply. “Tryin’ to be invested in his problems, offer a sympathetic ear… as much as I can.” Another swig. “Just happened to also talk to Tribore and heard on your end, too.”
Avocato took it in, looking thoughtful for a moment before his eyes narrowed at Sheryl. “And why would I believe you,anyways? You don’t have anything to gain from telling me this.”
The woman put her hands up. “Hey, I’m just reportin’. You can talk t’Gary’s lady friend if you want a second opinion.”
“Quinn?”
“ Uh huh. She’s bein’ better help on this than me. You want evidence, you can ask her.”
He mulled it over, taking in Sheryl’s (weird) attempt at input with a hum. “Thanks, I guess.”
She simply gave a shrug in reply before taking another drink right from the bottle and making a face, only to take a second as he left.
-----
It wasn’t hard to talk to Gary, right? He could manage this. Maybe.
Probably.
Admittedly nothing scared Avocato more than the idea of having to be honest, on personal topics or otherwise. Though the small group that collected just outside the bridge didn’t help. Neither did the grin Quinn gave and the pat on his shoulder with a little whisper of ‘all yours’ in a gentle, teasing tone.
He moved to the front of the room, hearing the door shut behind him but not feeling quite alone as he went to sit down in the spot Quinn had ‘conveniently’ left for him. Gary perked immediately at the new presence, full attention moving to Avocato. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Avocato murmured back, giving a slight wave and sat forward. “Kinda been awhile since we actually got to talk…”
“Yeah! Yeah…” Gary moved back in the seat, pushing it back from the steering. “Just a bit. What’s up, man?”
“Not.. not much,” Avocato replied weakly, leaning back into the chair in an attempt to make himself comfortable… now he just felt weird. Back to leaning. “Just kind of wanted to… talk. About things.”
“Oh… well yeah! Hell yeah, you can talk to me about anything, lay it on me, man.” Gary turned his chair with a grin, hands folded and leaning forward. Fully attentive.
It was kind of startling how focused he suddenly was on Avocato… it was enough to sap the strength from the other.
“Nothing too serious, I was just wondering… how you’re doing. With the whole… Quinn thing.” He could almost hear the collective sigh from the group outside the door. “You don’t talk about her much anymore, things seemed to be going well?”
Gary looked confused for a split second before chuckling, sitting back up and resting against the arm of his chair with his chin in hand. “It’s been going great, actually. We’re close…”
Avocato felt his gut sink down, regret immediately hitting him in a wave when Gary looked back to him. “I mean, still kind of working things out, don’t know what to expect anymore, but it’s great! She’s super smart, and she’s great at listening and has these amazing insights-- I mean, she’s not my best friend, rest assured that’s still your spot-- but she’s vying for it man, better watch out!”
Avocato let out a weak laugh at that, not sure if it was supposed to make him feel more on edge or if Gary actually meant it to be comforting, somehow. “Thanks for the heads up,” Avocato murmured.
Gary let out a weak huff of a laugh, the smile melting away. “Are you… okay?”
Avocato pressed his face into his hand, looking away from the other to try and give himself some strength. “Yeah… yeah, I’m…okay.”
He could tell Gary didn’t buy it from the painful silence that overtook, glancing over to see Gary still watching him with a concerned look. “Are you… are you sure?” the blonde pressed.
Was he? “No,” Avocato admitted aloud, louder than he meant to. “I just…” he huffed out and sat up. “I dunno.”
“You… don’t know?” Gary frowned.
“No, I don’t know, because I should be okay!” he hissed out in annoyance, “But things are messy, and difficult, and hard to deal with and I want to be happy and supportive of you, and Quinn, your whole… thing ,” he waved his hands before bringing them back to his head, “But part of me isn’t happy, and it’s shitty and selfish but I can’t make it go away and just be a friend--”
“Hey, wow, okay, that’s a lot to take in…” Gary stood, making Avocato stand on impulse as well. “But I need you to back up in this rant and spell things out for me. Are you… not happy just… being my friend?”
“No! I’m just… I want to be friends, I want to be here for you and I like being here for you, I’m just… I don’t know, I’m rambling because I don’t know how to word this that it doesn ’ t kind of destroy everything else if you say you don’t li--”
He was cut off by a pair of hands-- Gary’s, one flesh and one metal-- grabbing his face gently and lips pressing against his, forcing him to quiet. There was a moment of confusion, a little resistance as he tried to piece together what was happening before accepting that he knew exactly what was happening-- holy shit , Gary was kissing him.
He let the other be the one to pull away, hands still on the Ventrexian’s face as Gary leaned in. “You know I like you too, right?” the man murmured under his breath.
“I… did not,” Avocato admitted weakly. He could feel his face heat up in embarrassment at the situation. “What about…?”
“Quinn?” Gary finished with a cheeky grin. “We talked, we considered, we’re both staying good friends. She has been helping with getting brave enough to… well, talk to you.”
Avocato sunk into his shoulders, only to have his head turned back to attention. “Also, you got ratted out by Little Cato like, a week ago.”
“What?!” The human could not help but laugh at the shock in the other’s voice. “Man, you let me go for that long?!”
“Hey, I was trying to work up the courage! Get brave!” Gary chuckled, leaning back in.
“You were nervous? I can’t see it,” Avocato mused.
“I know, I’m usually bold and open about this stuff, but it’s true!” Gary assured. “But now that it’s out in the open, I know it’s kind of a bad time, but maybe we can try out the arcade sometime?”
“There’s an arcade in here?” The Ventrexian asked in surprise.
“Apparently!”
He considered it (to Gary’s impatience) before breaking into a grin. “Yeah, sounds like a date.”
The human’s face split into a stupidly huge smile, nearly bouncing. “Hell yeah! Oh my god, you just made my day, man--oh!” The pair were hit in the sides from low, separating slightly to see Little Cato with his face buried and arms around them.
“It’s about time you guys talked, oh my god!” came the muffled yell.